Not so long-ago life seemed to be whizzing by as we lived our “normal” lives. We were getting up to get ready for work, school, dropping the kids off at the grandparents, out running errands, or even just going to the coffee shop to catch up with a longtime friend. Almost overnight the lives of every American changed, and no one was prepared for war with the invisible enemy. As cases have reached the peak in the Northeast where the epicenter of the virus has been in the United States, many people are loosening up the plans to reopen in other states. However, the virus is still here, and it is very much still highly transmissible, and people shouldn’t forget that we are still living in a pandemic. Life moving forward will not be the same, in the foreseeable future of businesses and schools opening up, our new “normal” may very much include face-masks and social distancing guidelines.
The first confirmed Coronavirus case was reported early January in Seattle, Washington, where a man who was traveling was returning from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. Soon after, the virus began to spread like wildfire, and New York City was hit the hardest with its highest peak hospitalizations in a single day of 6,206. Currently, the total number of confirmed cases is 313,000 with 18,909 deaths. The United States currently has over 1.18 million confirmed cases with 67,975 deaths. These numbers are still going up each day and people need to realize that this is serious and not “just a flu” as many had sought out to be.
The lives of many Americans have already been impacted greatly due to the pandemic, and many lost their jobs or lost the chance in starting a new job because of the outbreak. 2020 has certainly been a challenging year for most, and many are struggling to keep their head up to survive. Unemployment rates have hit a record high as the jobs of many were impacted and the search for a new one is even more challenging given the uncertain times.
So, what will life be like in the near future? Well, with some business in the Tri-State area opening up such as restaurants and some retailers, they are still very much sticking to the guidelines. Some states have already opened up their states completely; however, with that being said, places that have opened up like, Florida, have seen a spike in the number of new coronavirus cases as people are not following rules and guidelines. Florida experienced a jump in coronavirus cases adding over 1,000 new confirmed cases within 24 hours after reopening the state and public beaches. Many were seen over crowding the beaches and many ignoring social distancing rules and ignoring the suggestions of wearing a mask in public.
However, if the tri-state area does decide to reopen in the near future, which is pretty much still in the books, many will have to follow the strict rules and regulations put in place to keep us safe and to prevent and slow the spread of coronavirus. Many restaurants that remained open during the pandemic have been doing strictly to-go orders as no one is allowed to be seated and served in any establishment at the moment. Many restaurant owners already have plans for when they reopen and will be following all rules and guidelines. These restaurants will run at reduced capacity and limit the amount of large parties as well as having each table separated fat enough from one another. Many of these restaurant workers have and will be required to follow all safety guidelines which includes face masks and constant glove changes as well as following all proper sanitization rules put in place.
As schools in New Jersey remain closed for the remaining academic year, many are wondering what will happen in the coming months. Many schools themselves are not thinking about the new school year in the fall as we do not know if things will have some normalcy by then. Even if things were to reopen, the CDC, as well as many government officials have highly suggested that schools and businesses will be placed under strict social distancing rules. Colleges may have a more difficult time reopening on campus as many classes have large auditorium class sizes that simply are not able to be socially distant. One way to combat this is to just stick with online classes as the virus is still proven to be deadly.
Workplaces may have new rules put in place following current guidelines and limiting capacity to those going in and out of the building. It is plausible for companies to juggle employees and have a set amount of workers in a physical space one day, and work virtually the next so shifts can be switched and will regulate the number of workers in a given location. The way we operate business will not be the same as well since the virus has created new ways for companies to think about other options of traditional work tasks that can now be managed remotely.
For now, the future remains uncertain for many as the virus continues to spread across the country. The plan for reopening is in the works, and it is up to government officials to make that decision based on how people are following guidelines and rules. However, the virus is a real problem that many are still not acknowledging. Many still believe the virus is a hoax and many have insisted that they are immune to the virus. Protestors are demanding to have everything reopen as they want their “normal” life back, but sadly it is not just about them. This virus can be asymptomatic and can be carried to those who do not have it and to those with underlying conditions and the elderly, it can be really dangerous. The only way we can return to a somewhat state of normalcy is for everyone to cooperate and follow the rules and guidelines given by medical professionals to keep ourselves and everyone else safe.
